Prioritising education during the pandemic

A new report makes a strong argument on why schools should remain open and how unlike other sectors, which could recover from short-term closures, education could have long-term impacts.

A municipal worker sanitises a classroom as per COVID-19 norms. (Photo | PTI)

As the pandemic struck, it was thought prudent to close down schools. However, a new report makes a strong argument on why schools should remain open and how unlike other sectors, which could recover from short-term closures, education could have long-term impacts. We take a look at how school closures are exacerbating the existing divides and overriding the gains, if any.

When 1 is equal to 3

• Estimates has brought to light that if a class 3 child had lost a year of schooling during the pandemic, it translates into a loss of three years’ worth of learning in the long run.
• For instance, 17% of girls never re-enrolled in schools after Ebola in Sierra Leone, thus making a short-term shock into something that has far-reaching consequences.

$17 trillion

A loss of $17 trillion of lifetime earnings is estimated in schoolchildren if urgent corrective measures is not adopted.

Hardest hit

Children from low- and middle-income countries have been particularly badly affected due to longer average school closure times and lack of access to online modes of learning.

1.6 billion

Over 1.6 billion students globally couldn’t go to schools as the pandemic struck. With learning crisis already a reality in under-developed countries, Covid worsened it to a large extent

75% less and 2.5 times more

In Sao Paulo, Brazil, a class five student learned 75% less and were 2.5 times more likely to drop out

In rural Karnataka, around a full year was lost for the students due to the pandemic

The report recommends

• Prioritising keeping schools and preschools fully open Given the social, economic and mental health consequences, closure should only be viewed as a last resort to stem Covid cases
• Ensure that children keep attending the school by offering incentives and educating parents and kids

Vaccinate teachers, use masks and improve ventilation

• Sharp reduction in Covid transmission in schools is observed when masks are used and proper ventilation is ensured
• Moreover, evidence shows that children are less likely to contract severe Covid

Adjusting the instruction to reflect the reality

• The disadvantaged and the marginalized have fallen behind, they should be given sufficient attention to get back on track
• One-size-fits-all mode of learning will not work for all sections of the society

Additional support to teachers

• To help students cope with the losses of in-person classes and to adapt to hybrid modes of teaching
• Leveraging existing tech The pandemic taught us the lesson that tech provided without the necessary infrastructure is of limited help Many low- and middle-income countries had limited access to the internet and hence resources could have been more content oriented—like text messages—that could have leveraged the existing feature phone infrastructure

Increasing parental engagement

SMS text support or talking to parents over the phone have been proved to produce positive effects in the learning process.

Losses beyond education

1. About 370 million children were estimated to have lost on school meal programmes across the world in April 2020.

2. The lockdowns have also widened existing gender inequalities. A survey—Presidential Policy and Strategic Unit & Population Council—in Kenya showed that nearly twice as many as girls did not return to schools in January 2021 after the lockdown

3. In addition, access to menstrual health products, contraception, etc. have been severely compromised and there has been a rise in teenage pregnancies.